“Exploring Neurobehavioral Therapy for Seizures in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients”
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can lead to various complications, including seizures, which can be either functional (non-epileptic) or epileptic. Unfortunately, treatments for these seizure conditions in TBI patients are limited, prompting researchers to explore the effectiveness of a specific therapy called neurobehavioral therapy (NBT). In a new study, scientists looked into how well NBT worked for patients dealing with both TBI and seizures over the course of a year.
The study involved three groups of adults: those with TBI and functional seizures, those with TBI and epilepsy, and a control group with TBI but no seizures. Participants with seizures received NBT, which consists of 12 therapy sessions focusing on multiple approaches to improve mental health and reduce seizures. The researchers followed these groups for a year to see how seizure frequency and other health measures changed during and after the treatment.
The results were promising! Participants with functional seizures experienced a significant drop in their average monthly seizures from about 17 to just over 7 after a year of NBT. On the other hand, while those with epilepsy also saw a decrease in seizure frequency, it wasn’t quite statistically significant enough to draw strong conclusions. When looking at overall mental health and quality of life improvements, those with functional seizures made strides in more than half of the evaluated areas, while those with epilepsy and the control group had fewer improvements.
In summary, NBT showed great potential in helping patients with TBI who also suffer from seizures, especially for those experiencing functional seizures. This study suggests that NBT could be an effective treatment option for improving not just seizure frequency but also overall well-being in these patients. These findings highlight the importance of exploring innovative therapies for better management of complex health issues like TBI and seizures.